Welcome to the Framily
by turbo denali
Summary: There's a fine line between friends and family, and sometimes they're one in the same. This is a story about how Mako begins to realize that he and Bolin are no longer alone. This is a story of how he begins to realize their friends have become framily. Spoilers through the season finale.
1. Welcoming

**Disclaimer:** LoK is not mine. It is the property of Nickelodeon and all that jazz. You guys know the drill.

**Author's Note: **This is just a nice, fluffy piece. Yes, there is mention of a romantic pairing in this fic, but it's really a story about friendship and family. Translation: There will be "feels" but no "smut." Sorry to disappoint.

* * *

Snow crunched underfoot as Mako strolled along the compound walls. His footsteps sounded impossibly loud in the silence of the late evening and the sudden awareness of it brought him to a complete stop. It wasn't just silent outside. It was _empty_. The realization put him on guard and Mako's gaze swept his surroundings, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He spotted a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye, but it was too late.

"You're going down, evil dragon!"

Mako whirled around and looked up helplessly as Meelo launched himself from the roof of a nearby shed, aiming straight for Mako. He took a step backward, unsure of whether he should dodge the dangerous fartbender or try to catch him. Before he could make up his mind, he heard a familiar giggle and felt a puff of air sweep his feet out from under him. He landed with an _oof_ and propped himself up on his elbows. Ikki sped away on an air scooter, her face split by a huge grin.

Reflexively, Mako tried to jump to his feet only to find himself struggling to stand. He was bundled in layers of borrowed, oversized clothing and the result was a limited range of motion. By the time he managed to get on his feet, Meelo had managed to latch on to Mako's shoulders and knocked him back down into the snow. Face first.

That was the last straw.

Mako felt his face contort into a grimace. He'd left the comfort of the lodge buildings and endured the cold that nipped at his ears and nose- all so that he could have some time to be alone with his thoughts. Instead, he found himself ambushed by two rambunctious children. He knew he'd probably have a bruised tailbone from his first less-than-graceful fall. Snow dampened his hair and snuck down past his scarf.

Meelo hopped up and down on Mako's back and the firbender felt his throat grow warm and he clenched his teeth. Fire threatened to spill out of his mouth. Mako slowly pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and scowled.

There was only one thing to do in this situation.

/

"Hey, have you seen Meelo or Ikki? Or Mako?" Korra asked an unsuspecting White Lotus sentry. "You know, the tall, moody firebender?"

The sentry shrugged. "Sorry, Avatar Korra. I saw him go outside, but that was about an hour ago. I don't know about Master Tenzin's children."

"Okay. Thanks anyway." She offered a friendly wave and hid her frown as she turned to leave.

She knew there was no real cause for worry. It wasn't unusual for Mako to disappear now and then. He frequently slipped away for some "brooding time" as she liked to call it. But it _was_ unusual for him to be late for dinner. But even more worrisome was the fact that nobody had seen Ikki and Meelo for nearly half an hour.

Korra walked down the corridor and grabbed her short-sleeved coat from its peg on the wall. She pulled it on and bumped the door open with her hip. Without looking back, she nudged the door shut behind her and took one step forward. That was when she heard the scream.

Korra's head snapped up and she looked for the source. "Ikki?" she shouted.

A roar bounced off of the nearby compound wall and a plume of flame shot into the sky. Korra broke into a sprint, her nostrils flaring at the scent of ozone wafting in her direction. She spotted a pair of sentries looking down from their watchtower, amusement painted on their faces. Confused, Korra rounded the building in front of her and stopped in her tracks.

The previous night's fresh snow had turned into a large, dirty slush and standing in the middle of it was a tall figure, recognizable despite being obscured by an oversized coat. Two little airbenders flitted about, squealing with delight as they dodged half-hearted blasts of fire. Mako waved his arms and let out another ferocious roar before chasing after his nearest victim. He nearly had Meelo in his grasp when Ikki swooped in to wrap herself around his leg. Her efforts proved futile and Mako managed to get his hands on Meelo in spite of her best efforts.

"Unhand me, dragon!"

"Never!" Mako snarled and dramatically declared, "I _never_ let go of a tasty meal once I've caught it!" He opened his mouth as if to gobble up the squirming boy. As he leaned in to take a bite, a snowball smacked the back of his head and he jerked in surprise.

"You heard what he said. Unhand the boy, dragon!"

Mako dropped Meelo and whirled around to face his attacker. The children shouted and all but flew towards their savior. She stood with feet planted firmly, one hand on her hip while the other held another large snowball.

"Korra!" Meelo and Ikki shouted in unison.

"Now then, dragon," she said with a smirk, "if you're done attacking small, helpless children, maybe you'd like to pick on somebody your own size."

Mako grinned and crouched down, prepared to pounce. "Bring it on, Avatar."

/

When all four of them arrived in the dining hall, soaked and out of breath, Mako at least had the good grace to look sheepish.

Tenzin bit back a groan and Pema sighed. Lin rolled her eyes. Bolin and Jinora tried to stifle their laughter and both failed miserably. The senior members of the White Lotus glanced at the Avatar with mild disapproval and resignation, but no trace of surprise.

Katara merely looked up and said, "I see you found them, Korra." The master waterbender's eyes held a glint of amusement as she gestured to the empty seats at the table. "Why don't you sit down and have something to eat."

The meal went by quickly and- to Mako's own surprise- rather peacefully. He looked up at one point to see Ikki watching him and Mako let his lips curl up into a little snarl. Ikki's hands flew to her mouth to cover her giggles and she ducked her head down.

Korra teasingly poked his side. "Down, dragon," she scolded.

The two shared a smile and Mako felt his face grow warm. As he turned back to his food, he caught Katara's eye once again. This time, amusement wasn't the only thing he spotted. This time, the corners of her eyes were crinkled with happiness.

/

Later, while on his way to the bedroom he shared with his brother, he found the older woman sitting alone in the small lodge's main room. He had been walking in a bit of a haze, his lips still tingling from a rather deep goodnight kiss. When he saw Katara, he hesitated and noted that her gaze was fixed on a large tapestry depicting the heroes of the Hundred Year War. He debated trying to sneak by unnoticed, but Katara spotted the young firebender and made the decision for him.

Wordlessly, she patted the seat cushion next to her and smiled. Mako took the hint and joined her in front of the tapestry. From his new seat, he saw that the figures seemed almost alive in the dim, flickering light of the fire. Katara continued to smile and gave the tapestry a wistful glance before fully giving her attention over to Mako.

"So, you're the young man who's got Korra finally thinking about something other than bending," she said. Her voice was soft but somehow still laced with mirth.

"Um, yes. I guess that would be me."

Katara eyed him. "My grandchildren seem to be developing an attachment to you, too. And to your brother as well."

Mako rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. It's kind of weird," he confessed quietly. His eyes widened suddenly and he waved his hands in front of him. "I mean, not weird in a _bad_ way. I just mean that I wasn't expecting it."

Katara laughed and gave his arm a reassuring pat. "I know what you meant. It's odd to go to sleep one day and then wake up to find yourself thrown into a new family. Just know that we welcome you and Bolin with open arms. We're a large and loud family, but I hope that doesn't scare you off."

It was Mako's turn to laugh then. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

The two sat in companionable silence for a moment while Katara allowed Mako to digest her words. Then the old woman sighed and stole a glimpse of the tapestry. "Would you like to humor an old woman and let me tell you about how I found _my_ family?"

Mako nodded and propped his elbows on his knees.

And as her gentle voice wove together the tale of her late husband and friends, Mako couldn't help but realize that he _did_ feel welcome.

* * *

**Author's Note: **If you can't tell, i'm really big on the concept of "framily" (friends + family-like bonds = framily). Family is about more than just bloodlines and who's married to whom. There's something very special about creating such a tight bond with people to whom you have no blood relation. For me, there's very little distinction between my closest friends and the people who are related to me by blood; to me, they're all family.

This kind of bond is something i would expect to develop as a result of Korra's friendship with Mako and Bolin, regardless of who ended up with whom. It's also one of my favorite things about _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. In fact, my favorite moment of the show is when Toph asks, "Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?"

Anyway, i've gone on long enough. I just typed up this little bit on a whim and i'm already contemplating making it a series of "framily-themed" one-shots. We'll just have to wait and see what happens…


	2. Party Suit

**Disclaimer: **LoK is not mine. It belongs to Nickelodeon. I make no money off of this junk. Please don't sue.

**Author's Note: **This is the family-friendly addition to my new "Welcome to the Framily" series. The NSFW version is now a stand-alone fic which can be found under the title "Party Suit."

* * *

"Don't worry, dear," Senna said reassuringly. "It's really no hassle at all. Besides, you're not really dressed for the South Pole. And we'd all be upset if you got sick."

Mako sighed and let his shoulders slump in resignation. The morning had gone by so smoothly until he arrived in the dining hall for an early lunch. Master Tenzin had taken the airbending children and Korra off for some meditation. Bolin was absent because Lin was fulfilling her promise to test his potential for metalbending. Asami had disappeared earlier that day after some off-duty sentries had shyly asked her to teach them a bit about engines and basic repair.

And that left Mako to face Pema, Senna, and Katara all by himself. Even though he knew it was absurd, he half suspected that the three of them- or at least Pema and Senna- had been waiting for a chance to pounce and separate him from the rest of the herd.

"Are you sure?" he asked hopefully. "I mean, that coat Tonraq loaned me is pretty warm. And as long as I'm inside, my clothes are just fine." He raised his arms slightly and pointed at his shirt.

Senna seemed to ponder his hair and eyes for a moment and turned to Pema, addressing the other woman as if he hadn't spoken at all. "What do you think? Dark blue? I might suggest light blue, but he's so _pale_ and it would just make him look like a washed-out mound of snow."

Mako fought the urge to roll his eyes. At least he knew which parent gave Korra her bluntness. He looked pleadingly at Katara, but the old woman merely chuckled at his plight and remained seated at the table. So much for having an ally.

Pema stepped up to give Mako another critical once-over. "Dark blue. Definitely. Besides," she added, "it'll make for a better contrast with his eyes."

"You know, Bolin didn't get fussed over like this," he mumbled.

"That's because your brother took the clothes we gave him- without complaining, mind you- and they fit. He's got some meat on his bones," Senna said off-handedly. "Like any good, healthy boy should. You, on the other hand, are just skin and bones."

Mako rubbed the back of his neck and shifted uncomfortably as Senna and Pema began taking his measurements.

"Besides, I want you to look nice for Korra's birthday feast."

/

Mako found Korra waiting for him on the platform on the edge of the training grounds. She was perched on the railing and plucked at an invisible piece of fuzz on her pants. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and her lips pressed into a tight line. He took in her troubled expression and waited a moment before swooping in to give her a peck on the cheek.

She immediately broke out into a grin and her entire face seemed to come alive, looking for all the world as if she hadn't been in deep and worrisome concentration only moments before. Mako watched the light breeze play with her hair and moved to join her on the railing.

"I thought _I_ was supposed to be the moody one," he said, moving to take one of her hands in his.

"Sorry. It's nothing important."

"What's not important?"

Korra sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. Staring out at the training grounds, she continued, "The celebration. We almost always have some kind of feast or party on my birthday. The entire compound and even a couple of the nearby villages come together to celebrate. It's normally not weird, but this is… different."

"I'm not sure I follow," he confessed.

Korra shrugged almost imperceptibly. "After everything that's happened over the past six months, it just seems so surreal to be back here, getting ready to celebrate something as simple as my birthday." She shifted to lace her fingers through his.

"That makes sense." Mako let his cheek rest on top of her head and smiled. "If someone told me six months ago that I'd be freezing my butt off in the South Pole, I would've told them to go see a healer."

Korra's eyes narrowed and she tugged at his sleeve. "Speaking of which, did mom and Pema get a chance to talk to you about getting you some warm clothes that fit?"

Mako rolled his eyes at the memory of what was supposed to be an enjoyable lunch. "Oh yeah. Yeah, they did."

Her laugh bounced playfully out and across the training grounds. "Good. It's about time. You look like a little kid running around in my dad's old coat. It's kind of ridiculous."

"I do _not_ look like a little kid."

"Yeah, you kinda do." Korra grinned and pulled him down for a deep kiss. She released him and hopped down off of the railing. "Now then, city boy," she said teasingly as she backed away, "are we going to do some firebending or what?"

/

Mako smiled at the sound of Bolin's energetic laughter. Asami was trying to show his brother how to swing dance, but the lesson had quickly fallen apart when it became obvious that the earthbender wasn't serous about trying to learn. Instead, he playfully swung his partner about, lifting the tall woman with remarkable ease.

He was happy to see them getting along. Mako had worried that Asami would distance herself from the group after their breakup- as quiet and relatively painless as it was. He was honest when he said he still cared for her. After all, she was part of the new family they had created, and he was thankful to find that things were not nearly as awkward between them as they could be.

The drummers changed tempo and Asami left Bolin for another dance partner. Bolin immediately snatched up the unsuspecting Jinora who had the dubious honor of being the closest unpaired girl. This time it was Mako's turn to laugh as his brother tossed her about and the small girl managed to avoid getting stepped on.

"Wow. Look at you, cool guy."

Mako's attention was torn away from the dancers. "And look at you, Avatar. You're rather well-dressed."

She wasn't just well-dressed. She was _stunning_. Mako watched the firelight from the torches dance across her features and the throbbing beat of the drums suddenly seemed to match his pulse. Her hair tumbled freely past her shoulders and small beads were woven into a single braid that hung from her temple, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and touch them.

Korra waved a dismissive hand, breaking his trance. "I'm used to Water Tribe clothing. Even the fancy stuff. But I have never seen _you_ in anything like _that_."

"I'm going to take that to mean you like it."

"Mmhm." Korra moved closer and ran a flirty hand along his fur-lined collar. "It looks good on you."

"It'd better," he huffed. "Your mother and Pema spent enough time making me stand around like some kind of model."

"Of course they did. It was their birthday present to me," she said, lightly fingering the stitching.

Mako blushed a little at that. Suddenly, the drummers changed their beat once again and she was dragging him out into the throng of dancing people. The dance was a traditional one that he had only seen here in the South Pole and he struggled to keep up with Korra. If she noticed how many mistakes he was making, she kept her criticism to herself. They moved together as the crowd flowed in a circular pattern around the large, central bonfire. At one point, she managed to briefly press herself against him and leaned in to murmur something in his ear.

Mako's face burned furiously and she only chuckled, twirling away to continue the dance. He watched her feet glide gracefully over the trampled snow. Her eyes twinkled with unvoiced laughter and her face was flushed with excitement and exertion. It seemed as if the dancing went on for hours, but her words remained fresh in his ear:

"_I can't wait to unwrap my present."_

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize for any typos you may have encountered in reading this. I know i've mentioned this before, but these little fics are typed up on the fly and i don't spend much time proof reading them. I don't really plan them out and i mostly use fanfiction as a sort of writing exercise when i don't feel like working on something original.

So that said, yeah, my fics sometimes have little mistakes in them. If they're bad enough, i'll go back and fix them. If not, consider them little Easter eggs.

Until next time…


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